As the temperatures begin to rise in Norcross, it’s time to start thinking about keeping your home cool. One of the big problems with maintaining a comfortable home throughout the Norcross seasons is that it can be quite expensive to do so. One modern solution to this decades-old problem is to install a smart thermostat to control your HVAC system. At Bardi Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing, we love smart thermostats for their ability to accurately control your home’s comfort with a variety of adjustments that other thermostats don’t offer. Here are a few ways that these advanced adjustments translate to energy savings for you as a homeowner.
What Is a Smart Thermostat?
Smart thermostats have been around for a little over 15 years. During that time, there have been various updates to the user interface and interconnectivity. These updates greatly benefit consumers. At the core, though, smart thermostats work similar to the way they always have. Using a strip made from heat-resistant metal, smart thermostats use one or more electrical probes connected to the strip to measure changes in temperature. The thermostat displays the current temperature on an LCD screen that doubles as a user interface so that you can change settings on the thermostat. A smart thermostat can also connect to a home Wi-Fi network, allowing you to receive software updates and control the thermostat remotely.
How Does a Smart Thermostat Differ From a Typical Thermostat?
Older thermostats only give the homeowner the ability to set one temperature at a time. If you want the temperature in your home to be 72 degrees, for example, you set that temperature on your thermostat, and the thermostat will maintain that temperature until you adjust it again. On the other hand, smart thermostats allow you to set multiple temperatures for different days during the week. For example, if you want your thermostat to maintain a temperature of 80 degrees at 9:00 a.m. on weekdays, it can do that. The convenience of being able to change the temperature in your home without your active input is the biggest feature that sets smart thermostats apart from older types of thermostats.
Changing Things When You’re Away
If you regularly work away from your home, maintaining a less comfortable environment while you’re away can help save a lot of energy. By adjusting the temperature by just a few degrees for a few hours a day, you can expect to see energy savings of several percentage points on your utility bills. If there are other times throughout your week when you’re away from home, a smart thermostat can help you take advantage of these times by adjusting the temperature in your home to account for your absence. The key to making these adjustments work is that a smart thermostat can learn how long it takes for your HVAC system to return your home to a more comfortable temperature before you arrive. This ensures that your HVAC system doesn’t run longer than necessary to ensure your home is perfectly comfortable when you walk through the door.
Learning More About You
Another great feature of smart thermostats that we love at Bardi Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing is that smart thermostats can learn your living habits. Most smart thermostats have a proximity sensor to detect when someone is in the same room as the thermostat. Over time, your smart thermostat will begin to discern patterns in your comings and goings, even if you don’t realize that these patterns exist. If you desire, you can allow your thermostat to automatically control when the system will go on and off based on these learned patterns, all without any input from you. These precise adjustments allow you to save even more money without any extra effort.
No More Forgetting
The ability to control your thermostat remotely is another feature that only smart thermostats offer. Imagine sitting at your workplace and realizing that you forgot to adjust the thermostat before you left. All you have to do is open your thermostat’s app on your phone, and you’ll be able to adjust any setting as if you were physically standing in front of the thermostat. This is especially handy when you’re headed out on a trip that doesn’t fit your normal schedule. If you’re in a hurry and don’t optimize your thermostat’s settings, you can take care of it from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Plus, if you allow the app to use your phone’s location, you can put up a geofence around your home that will automatically trigger your HVAC system when you’re within a specified distance.
A More Accurate Picture
If you have hot and cold spots throughout your home, this condition could be costing you a lot of money. That’s because when your home’s temperature rises and falls unevenly, air from the less-efficient rooms will always rush in to make the higher-efficiency rooms less comfortable. This means that your HVAC system will need to run more often to maintain comfort. Smart thermostats address this issue by using remote temperature sensors placed around your home. These sensors collect temperature information from multiple locations so that you can get a better idea of the overall average temperature of your home. This means that your HVAC system can operate more effectively, preventing excess energy use in the process.
Ensure Proper Operation
The pros at Bardi Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing will all tell you that a smart thermostat is only as efficient as its installation. To operate effectively, a smart thermostat, or any thermostat for that matter, needs to be installed in a strategic location in your home. The thermostat should be on an interior wall, at eye level, and out of direct sunlight. This will ensure that the thermostat can accurately sense the temperature in your home at all times. Something else you’ll need to properly operate your smart thermostat is a C-wire. This is an electrical wire that provides electricity to the thermostat to power its screen, Wi-Fi connection, and other features. Older HVAC systems typically don’t have a C-wire, so if you’re planning on installing a smart thermostat, have Bardi Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing check your system first to make sure it has a C-wire.
Helping You Upgrade Your Home Comfort
When it comes to improving your home’s comfort, the good news is that there are multiple approaches you can take to get the job done. At Bardi Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing, we specialize in air conditioner repair, furnace maintenance, thermostat installation, and other HVAC-related repairs and upgrades. Plus, we offer a complete lineup of plumbing services, including drain cleaning, water heater installation, leak detection, and much more. Family owned for more than 30 years, we take pride in the service that we’re able to give to the Norcross community. This consistent commitment to service is one reason why customers love to leave us five-star reviews.
To learn more about installing, using, and maintaining a smart thermostat, contact us at Bardi Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing today.
